The February meeting of Warrior’s Magnolia Garden Club met at the home of Jane Sandlin.

Co-hostesses were Jan Thomas and Linda England. After a brief business meeting and meal, we were treated to a hands-on experience in container gardening. Sue Knopf instructed members as we filled glass containers of various sizes and shapes with the necessary ingredients for a lovely container garden.

A container garden or terrarium is a collection of compatible plants grown in an enclosed or partially enclosed, clear container.

Several steps are necessary to complete the construction of a container garden:

• Pea gravel, pebbles or course sand is needed for drainage.

• Activated charcoal spread in a thin layer will help clean the air of fumes caused when the organic materials begin to decompose.

• Sphagnum moss is used to prevent the soil from sifting down into the drainage layer.

• A potting soil mix specifically for terrariums is used for anchoring plants and providing necessary nutrients.

• A variety of small plants and landscape accents such as pieces of wood, stones or shells are added using forks and spoons as rakes and shovels.

• Moisture is added by means of a spray misting bottle before covering the terrarium.

In addition to being a fun and practical way to have a miniature landscape inside our home it is ideal for those who are too busy to spend a lot of time caring for plants. Another plus to container gardening is that they allow for growth of plants requiring a high degree of humidity, which would probably otherwise perish in the dry atmosphere of a heated home.

Once the plants become established within the miniature garden, the terrarium begins to create a climate of its own. The plants transpire moisture through their leaves, which then condenses on the glass and flows back to the soil. The “rain effect” allows the terrarium to go for weeks without watering.

Mary Cochran hosted the March 17 meeting.

Renee Dobbins presented the program.